Squeeze tester for glass containers

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for squeeze testing the side walls of glass containers by passing them successively between the periphery of a wheel and an opposed shoe. The shoe is shaped to provide a converging entrance portion, a diverging exit portion, and an intermediate arcuate portion concentric with the wheel. The shoe is urged toward the wheel to apply squeezing pressure by air pressure actuated means which includes an air reservoir to cushion the squeezing force. The shoe is mounted to move slightly downwardly toward the wheel and slightly upwardly away from the wheel so that containers passing between the shoe and the wheel periphery move the shoe away from the wheel and thus lift the containers from a conveyor.

United States Patent [191 Erb et al. v

[ SQUEEZE TESTER FOR GLASS CONTAINERS [75] Inventors: Roger L. Erb, Brockway; James F.

Wesdock, Reynoldsville, both of Pa.

[73] Assignee: Brockway Glass Company, Inc., Brockway, Pa.

22 Filed: Nov.11,1971 211 App]. No.: 197,785

[52] US. Cl. 73/94 [51] Int. Cl. G011: 3/00 [58] Field of Search...; 73/88 R, 94, 12; 101/38 A, 40

[56] 1. i References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,618,370 11/1971 Dubble 73/94 UX 3,101,848 8/1963 Uhlig 209/72 2,635,532 4/1953 Stewart 10l/4O Oct. 16, 1973 3,702,563 11/1972 Brady et al. 73/94 X Primary Examiner-Jerry W. Myracle AttorneyConrad Christel et al.

57 ABSTRACT Apparatus for squeeze testing the side walls of glass containers by passing them successively between the periphery of a wheel and an opposed shoe. The shoe is shaped to provide a converging entrance portion, a diverging exit portion, and an intermediate arcuate portion concentric with the wheel. The shoe is urged toward the wheel to apply squeezing pressure by air pressure actuated means which includes an air reservoir to cushion the squeezing force. The shoe is mounted to move slightly downwardly toward the wheel and slightly upwardly away from the wheel so that containers passing between the shoe and the wheel periphery move the shoe away from the wheel and thus lift the containers from a conveyor.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PMENIEnum 161m SHEET 1 OF 2 FIG. 1.

INVENTOR. ROGER L. ERB BiJAMES F. WESDOCK M? QM ATTOQNEYS PMENIEUUBHB ms 3765231 sum 2 u; g

INVENTOR. QOGER L. ERB gAMEs F. WESDOCK M i 6W ATTORN EYS 1 SQUEEZE TESTER FOR GLASS CONTAINERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to apparatus for testing glass containers and, more particularly, to apparatus for applying squeezing pressure to the side walls of such containers to determine and eliminate containers of a strength below a predetermined level by crushing such containers.

Apparatus of this general type has heretofore been proposed but the apparatus available in the art for this general purpose is subject to certain objections. In such prior art devices the application of lateral pressure to containers has been applied too abruptly, either regularaly or under various abnormal conditions, or without reliable uniformity of pressure, so that containers which would otherwise pass inspection have been unnecessarily broken during squeeze testing with consequent undue increase in the scrap rate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the apparatus of the present invention successive containers are diverted from the conveyor and moved into a gradually converging throat formed by the periphery of a pressure wheel and an entry portion of a pressure shoe which is opposed to the wheel. Thus the squeezing pressure of the latter two elements is applied to a container gradually.

This gradual application of squeezing pressure and consequent elimination of shock or impact forces is supplemented by the fact that the pressure shoe which is movably mounted and urged toward the pressure wheel, is moved by an air pressure arrangement which includes a reservoir which provides a substantial volume of air between the shoe and the pressure-regulating means. This permits the shoe to move freely and automatically to adjust to force changes and thus applies a relatively constant cushioned squeezing force against containers passing between the shoe and the opposed pressure wheel.

In the present apparatus the pressure wheel rotates the container so that it rolls along the opposed pressure shoe and the speed of the pressure wheel is freely controllable so that individual containers are moved separately through the squeezing zone, even though they may be closely spaced along the conveyor which introduces them to the pressure zone. By virtue of this speed adjustment the containers are rotated and moved through the squeeze zone at a speed sufficient to permit individual passage of containers but without moving the containers any more rapidly than is necessary for this purpose.

The present apparatus further provides means whereby containers are automatically lifted from the conveyor by the squeezing means so that undue abrasion of the bottoms of the containers is avoided. The lifting of the containers permits individual containers to adjust positionally so that they bear flat against the periphery of the pressure wheel and the pressure shoe is mounted for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis so that it in turn automatically adjusts to bear flat against the opposite surface of the container. This assures uniformly distributed squeezing pressure against the container by the surfaces of the pressure wheel and shoe.

Furthermore, the containers move laterally from the conveyor surface in passing to the squeeze zone sothat fragments of containers which fail in the squeeze zone and break fall clear of the conveyor and other portions of the apparatus to a disposal chute or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a general end elevational view of one form of the apparatus of the present invention with portions thereof omitted for clearer illustration; and

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof, likewise with portions omitted for clearer illustration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 the numeral 10 designates a stand or frame which has a pair of table top portions 11 and 12 detachably secured to its upper surface, and which is provided with casters 13 and level adjustment means 14. The apparatus is adapted to be positioned so that it straddles a conventional glass container conveyor 15 which may be a discharge conveyor which delivers a row of finished containers from an annealing lehr or the like. Conveyor 15 moves along a support structure designated 17 in FIG. 1.

Speaking generally, glass containers passing along conveyor 15 are diverted and lifted therefrom to pass between a shoe 16 and a pressure wheel 18 which jointly apply lateral squeeze forces to the side walls of the containers to test their strength. Shoe 16 is supported upon table top member 11 in a manner which will presently be described and pressure wheel 18 is supported from table top member 12, likewise as will be presently described. In positioning the apparatus with respect to the conveyor 15, one or the other of the table top members 11 may be temporarily detached from stand 10 and replaced after the latter is in position beneath the conveyor.

Wheel 18 is fixed to a vertical shaft 20 journaled in bearings 21 mounted upon a vertical wall member 22 which is supported on table top member 12. A drive motor 25 rotates shaft 20 through a reducer unit 26 and a chain drive connection 27. The output speed of the motor-reducer unit is regulated by a manually settable speed controller 30 connected to the motor reducer unit by way of a conduit 31. I

The numeral 32 designates a housing for the wheel 18 which is mounted on wall 12 and a brush element 33 is positioned to continuously engage wheel 18 to free the surface thereof of glass particles from containers which fail under the squeeze test. Wheel 18 may be of any design such as a metal spoked or webbed wheel having a peripheral surface layer 34 of relatively hard but slightly yieldable material, such as hard rubber or polyurethane.

Shoe 16 in the present instance comprises a plastic molding having a relatively hard but slightly yieldable polyurethane surface layer 35. Shoe 16 is pivoted along a longitudinal axis to bearing members 37 carried by a bracket 38 which in turn is pivoted along a horizontal axis to lugs 39 carried by a vertical wall 40 which is mounted on table top member 11. A layer of foam rubher, as at 41, is interposed between shoe 16 and a wall portion '42 of bracket 38 to exert a relatively light yieldable tendency to maintain the shoe 16 in generally horizontal alinement with bearing members 37.

Air pressure means are provided for urging shoe 16 toward wheel 18 to exert an accurately regulable squeeze pressure against glass containers passing between wheel 18 and shoe 16. Such air pressure means comprises an air cylinder 45 having a piston (not shown) and a piston rod 46 which projects upwardly against bracket 38. A supply of air under pressure is connected as at 48 in FIG. 2 and passes through a filter 49 and a pressure regulating valve 50 and thence to one end of a reservoir 51 as at 52. An air conduit from the opposite end of reservoir 51 is designated 53 and extends to a four-way solenoid valve 55 which is connected to opposite ends of cylinder 45 to urge the piston rod 46 toward an upper position, or to withdraw the same.

By suitably regulating valve 50, an accurately determined squeeze force is applied which tends to move shoe 16 to the right as viewed in FIG. 1, toward wheel 18. However, due to the substantial volume of air in reservoir 51, any shock forces occasioned by abrupt entry of a container between wheel 18 and shoe 16 or any other abnormality are cushioned to avoid impact forces and consequent undue damage to containers which otherwise would satisfactorily pass the squeeze test imposed by the present apparatus.

The means for guiding containers from the conveyor for passage between wheel 18 and shoe l6 and for returning satisfactory containers to the conveyor will now be described. The face of shoe 16 and its facing material 35 which is directed toward wheel 18, comprise a straight-line entrance portion 60, an intermediate arcuate portion 61 which is preferably concentric with wheel 18, and a straight-line discharge portion 62.

The straight-line entrance portion 60 cooperates with the facing peripheral portion of wheel 18 to provide a converging entrance passage and straight-line discharge portion 62 provides a similar but diverging discharge passage. The linear extent of the arcuate portion 61 is preferably at least equal to one-half the circumference of the container being tested so that the container is rotated through at least l80which insures that the side wall thereof is subjected to the desired squeeze forces at all diameters of the container.

The means for guiding individual containers from conveyor 15 to the entrance throat between wheel 18 and shoe 16 comprises a pair of vertical so-called fence members 65 and 66 supported from pairs of adjustable screws 67 and 68 mounted on extensions 69 and 70 on table top members 11 and 12. This structure is conventional and need not be further delineated.

While containers may pass between wheel 18 and shoe 16 at any desired speed, when used in conjunction with a single-line conveyor such as previously described herein it is preferable that wheel 18 be rotated at a surface speed approximately twice the speed of the conveyor. This is done so that, while the bottles may be closely spaced along conveyor 15, they will be passed between wheel 18 and shoe 16 at a sufficient speed so that only one container is squeezed between wheel 18 and shoe 16 at a time.

The provision of ready and accurate adjustment of the speed of rotation of wheel 18 by means of controller 30 permits the containers to move through the test zone at a speed sufficient to insure against the presence of more than one container at a time in the test zone while permitting the containers to move as slowly as is consistent with this objective.

Blocks 75 and 76 at the exit side of the test apparatus form an S-shaped discharge passage so that relatively rapidly moving containers which move thereinto are slowed down and held upright until they resume their passage along the slower-moving conveyor 15. ln the present instance, block 76 has a fixed mounting and block is supported from a fixed member 77 by spring-urged rods 78.

The arrangement of the present apparatus is such that containers are automatically lifted from the surface of the conveyor as they engage between the periphery of wheel 18 and the surface of shoe 16 so that abrasion of the bottoms of the containers by contact with the conveyor surface during rotation of the containers is avoided. Referring to FIG. 1, when a container is not present between wheel 18 and shoe l6, shoe 16 moves somewhat to the right from the position shown in FIG. 1 due to rocking movement of bracket 38 and this arcuate movement lowers the face of shoe l6 slightly from its top dead center position.

When a container engages between wheel 18 and shoe 16 the latter is rocked in a counterclockwise direction approximately to the top dead center position illustrated in FIG. 1 which causes a slight raising movement of the engaging surface of shoe l6 and a consequent lifting of the container from the surface of the conveyor. To further avoid undesirable abrading contact of the container bottom with the conveyor, the container moves laterally off of the conveyor during its passage between the squeezing surfaces of wheel 18 and shoe 16.

A transparent shield plate 80 of Plexiglass or the like is positioned above the container squeezing zone so that containers which fail under the squeeze test will not throw glass particles or fragments upwardly. The fragments of such failing containers fall clear of the conveyor, due to the offset position of the container with respect to the conveyor during the test period,.and such fragments fall through a cullet chute 81 of stand 10 and are collected from beneath the apparatus in any desired manner.

A preferred embodiment has been described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings to illustrate the underlying principles of the invention but it is to be understood that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for squeeze-testing glass containers comprising a wheel mounted for rotation on a vertical axis and a shoe member directed toward the periphery of said wheel and adapted to apply squeezing pressure against the side wall of a container engaged between said shoe and the periphery of said wheel, the surface portion of the shoe facing said wheel periphery being generally vertical and comprising a medial arcuate portion concentric with said wheel and an entry portion diverging outwardly from said wheel periphery to form a gradually converging entry portion for glass containers disposed to receive containers moving along a conveyor, said entry portion being integral with and forming a smooth continuation of said arcuate surface portion whereby squeezing pressure is applied to container side walls gradually and without impact, means for rotating said wheel to roll said containers against said shoe to move them through said apparatus and apply squeezing pressure throughout the peripheries of said containers, air pressure actuated means acting against said shoe to urge the same yieldably toward said wheel periphery, and air pressure regulating means for supplying an adjustable predetermined pressure to said pressure actuated means to apply a predetermined squeezing force against containers passing between said wheel periphery and said shoe.

2. Apparatus for squeeze-testing glass containers comprising a wheel mounted for rotation on a vertical axis and a shoe member directed toward the periphery of said wheel and adapted to apply squeezing pressure against the side wall of a container engaged between said shoe and the periphery of said wheel, the surface portion of the shoe facing said wheel periphery being generally vertical and comprising a medial arcuate portion concentric with said wheel and an entry portion diverging outwardly from said wheel periphery to form a gradually converging entry portion for glass containers disposed to receive containers moving along a conveyor, means for rotating said wheel to roll said containers against said shoe to move them through said apparatus and apply squeezing pressure throughout the peripheries of said containers, air pressure actuated means acting against said shoe to urge the same yieldably toward said wheel periphery, air pressure regulating means for supplying an adjustable predetermined pressure to said pressure actuated means to apply a predetermined squeezing force against containers passing between said wheel periphery and said shoe, and mounting means for said shoe pivoted about an axis generally parallel to the direction of movement of the containers for movement of said shoe toward and away from said wheel, said movement of said shoe being arcuately downward toward said wheel and arcuately upward away from said wheel, whereby entry of a container between said wheel and said shoe moves the latter arcuately upward to raise the container from said conveyor. 

1. Apparatus for squeeze-testing glass containers comprising a wheel mounted for rotation on a vertical axis and a shoe member directed toward the periphery of said wheel and adapted to apply squeezing pressure against the side wall of a container engaged between said shoe and the periphery of said wheel, the surface portion of the shoe facing said wheel periphery being generally vertical and comprising a medial arcuate portion concentric with said wheel and an entry portion diverging outwardly from said wheel periphery to form a gradually converging entry portion for glass containers disposed to receive containers moving along a conveyor, said entry portion being integral with and forming a smooth continuation of said arcuate surface portion whereby squeezing pressure is applied to container side walls gradually and without impact, means for rotating said wheel to roll said containers against said shoe to move them through said apparatus and apply squeezing pressure throughout the peripheries of said containers, air pressure actuated means acting against said shoe to urge the same yieldably toward said wheel periphery, and air pressure regulating means for supplying an adjustable predetermined pressure to said pressure actuated means to apply a predetermined squeezing force against containers passing between said wheel periphery and said shoe.
 2. Apparatus for squeeze-testing glass containers comprising a wheel mounted for rotation on a vertical axis and a shoe member directed toward the periphery of said wheel and adapted to apply squeezing pressure against the side wall of a container engaged between said shoe and the periphery of said wheel, the surface portion of the shoe facing said wheel periphery being generally vertical and comprising a medial arcuate portion concentric with said wheel and an entry portion diverging outwardly from said wheel periphery to form a gradually converging entry portion for glass containers disposed to receive containers moving along a conveyor, means for rotating said wheel to roll said containers against said shoe to move them through said apparatus and apply squeezing pressure throughout the peripheries of said containers, air pressure actuated means acting against said shoe to urge the same yieldably toward said wheel periphery, air pressure regulating means for supplying an adjustable predetermined pressure to said pressure actuated means to apply a predetermined squeezing force against containers passing between said wheel periphery and said shoe, and mounting means for said shoe pivoted about an axis generally Parallel to the direction of movement of the containers for movement of said shoe toward and away from said wheel, said movement of said shoe being arcuately downward toward said wheel and arcuately upward away from said wheel, whereby entry of a container between said wheel and said shoe moves the latter arcuately upward to raise the container from said conveyor. 